One of the most promising fields of nuclear diagnostics is positron emission tomography (PET). These are short-lived and ultra-short-lived isotopes, such as C-11, O-15, N-13, F-18, that are used for work at PET centers. This imposes a requirement to have cyclotrons for generation of such isotopes on the site of diagnostics. Opportunities of PET diagnostics may be considerably expanded with use of generator systems, where the life time of parent radionuclide is much longer than the life time of radionuclides generated on cyclotrons of PET centers. Among the isotope generators for PET, the most promising are generator systems
82Sr(t1/2=25.6 days)→82Rb(t1/2=75 sec) and 68Ge(t1/2=271 days)→68Ga(t1/2=68.3 min).
Therefore, as applied to generator isotopes, one may consider procurement of them to any clinics equipped with PET scanners, within a region, a nation, or a group of nations.
Generator systems may find the most common application in the so-called mobile PET units mounted in trailers, which are called for servicing clinics not equipped with PET scanners, let alone their own cyclotrons. The fact that such a mobile PET scanner is not “tied” to an isotope base enlarges considerably the range of an area it caters for.
There is known a strontium-rubidium infusion system for generation of diagnostic solution from a radionuclide strontium-rubidium generator and performing controlled infusion (U.S. Pat. No. 4,562,829, 1986), which comprises a container with eluent connected to a syringe pump with relevant pipes of the transporting system via the first three-way valve, a strontium-rubidium generator with the first filter and a pressure sensor at the input, the second three-way valve, its first port connected via the second filter to a unit for eluate infusion into a patient, and its second port connected to means of collection and storage of excessive eluate, radioactivity measuring means, and a control and operating unit. The known system is not perfect in terms of both protection from nuclear radiation and service life of the generator column.